January 20
The Great Kindness Challenge
http://www.greatkindnesschallenge.org/School/event.html the Great Kindness Challenge Jan. 23-27. A kindness station is a designated spot where students will be able to design their very own kind note to give to their friend, parent, staff member, or sibling. More information to follow from Mr. Klein.
What Students Remember Most About Teachers
Dear Teacher Down the Hall,
I saw you as you rushed past me in the lunch room. Urgent.
In a hurry to catch a bite before the final bell would ring calling all the
students back inside. I noticed that your eyes showed tension. There were faint
creases in your forehead. And I asked you how your day was going and you
sighed.
“Oh, fine,” you replied.
But I knew it was anything but fine. I noticed that the
stress was getting to you. I could tell that the pressure was rising. And I
looked at you and made an intentional decision to stop you right then and
there. To ask you how things were really going. Was it that I saw in you a
glimpse of myself that made me take the moment?
You told me how busy you were, how much there was to do. How
little time there was to get it all done. I listened. And then I told you this:
I told you to remember that at the end of the day, it’s not
about the lesson plan. It’s not about the fancy stuff we teachers make -- the
crafts we do, the stories we read, the papers we laminate. No, that’s not
really it. That’s not what matters most.
And as I looked at you, wearing all that worry and under all
that strain, I said it’s about being there for your kids. Because at the
end of the day, most students won’t remember what amazing lesson plans you’ve
created. They won’t remember how organized your bulletin boards are. How
straight and neat are the desk rows.
No, they’ll not remember that amazing decor you’ve designed.
But they will remember you.
Your kindness. Your empathy. Your care and concern. They’ll
remember that you took the time to listen. That you stopped to ask them how
they were. How they really were. They’ll remember the personal stories
you tell about your life: your home, your pets, your kids. They’ll remember
your laugh. They’ll remember that you sat and talked with them while they ate
their lunch.
Because at the end of the day, what really matters is YOU.
What matters to those kids that sit before you in those little chairs, legs
pressed up tight under tables oft too small -- what matters to them is you.
You are that difference in their lives.
And when I looked at you then with tears in your eyes,
emotions rising to the surface, and I told you gently to stop trying so hard --
I also reminded you that your own expectations were partly where the stress
stemmed. For we who truly care are often far harder on ourselves than our
students are willing to be. Because we who truly care are often our own worst
enemy. We mentally beat ourselves up for trivial failures. We tell ourselves
we’re not enough. We compare ourselves to others. We work ourselves to the bone
in the hopes of achieving the perfect lesson plan. The most dynamic activities.
The most engaging lecture. The brightest, fanciest furnishings.
Because we want our students to think we’re the very best at
what we do and we believe that this status of excellence is achieved merely by
doing. But we forget -- and often. Excellence is more readily attained by
being.
Being available.
Being kind.
Being compassionate.
Being transparent.
Being real.
Being thoughtful.
Being ourselves.
And of all the students I know who have lauded teachers with
the laurels of the highest acclaim, those students have said of those teachers
that they cared.
You see, kids can see through to the truth of the matter. And
while the flashy stuff can entertain them for a while, it’s the steady
constance of empathy that keeps them connected to us. It’s the relationships we
build with them. It’s the time we invest. It’s all the little ways we stop and
show concern. It’s the love we share with them: of learning. Of life. And most
importantly, of people.
And while we continually strive for excellence in our
profession as these days of fiscal restraint and heavy top-down demands keep
coming at us -- relentless and quick. We need to stay the course. For ourselves
and for our students. Because it’s the human touch that really matters.
It’s you, their teacher, that really matters.
So go back to your class and really take a look. See past the
behaviors, the issues and the concerns, pressing as they might be. Look beyond
the stack of papers on your desk, the line of emails in your queue. Look
further than the classrooms of seasoned teachers down the hall. Look. And you
will see that it’s there- right inside you. The ability to make an impact. The
chance of a lifetime to make a difference in a child’s life. And you can do this
now.
Right where you are, just as you are.
Because all you are right now is all you ever need to be for
them today. And who you are tomorrow will depend much on who and what you
decide to be today.
It’s in you. I know it is.
Fondly,
That Other Teacher Down the
Hall
Assessments:
The district writing assessment will be administered from
2/1-2/10 at Suisun Valley. Educational Services worked closely with the
Elementary and Secondary Assessment Committees to plan for the assessment. Here
are the details of the assessment.
Who
takes the assessment?
·
Grades K-2 will take the assessment on paper and pencil. Scores
will be recorded in Illuminate Education. A step by step guide will be
provided.
·
Grades 3-8 will take the assessment in Illuminate Education.
Teachers will score the assessments in Illuminate using the rubric in the
system. Questions about scoring should be directed to your site administrator.
What
is the assessment?
·
Grades K-2 was created by Educational Services and vetted by K-2
teachers who are on the assessment committee.
·
Grades 3-5 are the SBAC Interim Performance Task from the CAASPP
System.
·
Grades 6-8 was created by our middle school teachers and
approved by Educational Services.
How
do I administer the test in Illuminate Education? A step by step guide will be
provided.
The
following training dates are posted on PD place:
1/19,
1/23, 1/26, 2/1
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The Governing Board recognizes that school-sponsored trips can be an important component of a student's development and supplement and enrich the classroom learning experience. School-sponsored trips may be conducted in connection with the district's course of study or school-related social, educational, cultural, athletic, school band activities, or other extracurricular or cocurricular activities.
BP/AR 6153 outline the processes and procedures that must be followed when conducting a school sponsored trip.
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Observable Fish Moments at SV:
Be There: When people need you, they need you. Setting aside distractions and judgements to be fully present is a sign of respect. It improves communication and strengthens relationships.
Play: You can be serious about your work without taking yourself too seriously. Play is a mindset more than a specific activity. It allows you to throw yourself with enthusiasm, creativity and CURIOSITY, into whatever you are doing, in a way that is natural, not forced. “Playing” with ideas helps you find solutions to everyday challenges.
Choose your attitude: To actually choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. Ask yourself throughout the day, “What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective?”
Make Their Day: Simple gestures of thoughtfulness, thanks and recognition make people feel appreciated and valued. When you make someone feel good, you feel good too.
THROUGH THE FISH PHILOSOPHY, WE BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH, THE STUDENTS WE TEACH AND THE PEOPLE WE LOVE.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH OF YOU - I APPRECIATE AND RESPECT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
